At 13:59 5/3/2000, Adam Puzerewski wrote:
>Has anyone found a solution to the wiper arms that slip on their pivot?  Is
>there anything a person can do short of pulling the dash and the wiper motor
>and replacing the pivot points?

This is a result of the arms having been restrained while running, or else
forcibly turned.  It's a design feature to keep from wrecking the linkage.

The shaft has very fine sharp splines on it.  The arm socket is made of pot
metal.  When first installed, the arm is pressed down onto the splines,
which cut corresponding splines in the socket.

If the arm is overtorqued, the soft splines in the socket will shear off,
and you'll have slippy arms forever.

Cure is to take them off, then with a safety pin or other sharp point, dig
out the metal from between the splines in the shaft.  Then reinstall wiper,
snugging down firmly to recut the splines.  Nut will be easy, then quite
firm for ?couple turns?, then harden up -- stop before you shear it
off.  Problem gone.  If you don't like the position, just move it to next
spline. There's enough meat in the socket to do this repair a number of
times, in case you're prone to turning on the wipers when they're frozen to
the glass...

david
ps -- I believe they learned this trick from the Japanese.

david
David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"